Shuttleworth: Ubuntu’s goal is one OS from phones to supercomputers

Ubuntu phones and tablets may not be a reality yet, but Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth says Ubuntu is "close" to running on everything from smartphones to supercomputers.

"The really interesting opportunity is to unify all of these different kinds of computing," Shuttleworth said in a Q&A with Slashdot readers published today. "Let's make one OS that runs on the phone AND on your supercomputer. We're close to that now—we know Ubuntu makes a great cloud OS and a great server OS and a great desktop. So I think the next frontier is to create a seamless experience from the embedded world to the cloud. And yes, that's very much what we are focused on at Canonical."

The Linux kernel, of course, already runs on smartphones, tablets, desktops, servers, and supercomputers. While Ubuntu is the most widely used Linux desktop, it has done nothing to stop the dominance of Windows and it only runs on mobile devices in limited ways. There is Ubuntu for Android, which aims to turn Android phones into Ubuntu desktops when connected to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. And Ubuntu can be installed on the Nexus 7 tablet in an experimental fashion.

Shuttleworth's stated timing for Ubuntu on phones and tablets is still so far in the future that it's hard to have much confidence in its prospects. "We've said clearly that the phone and tablet are key stories we need to tell by 14.04 LTS," Shuttleworth said. Ubuntu 14.04 comes out in April 2014.

While major PC vendors are shipping computers with Ubuntu pre-installed, Shuttleworth noted they are "nervous to promote something new to PC buyers." That's one reason Canonical believes mobile is crucial to its success. "If we can get PC buyers familiar with Ubuntu as a phone and tablet experience, then they may be more willing buy it on the PC too," he said.

Ubuntu is touch-ready, but still a desktop OS

The Unity desktop on the latest versions of Ubuntu is designed to be touch-ready, but Shuttleworth defended its usability with mouse and keyboard. "Unity positions itself to be ready for touch-only platforms like the tablet and phone, but the desktop flavor of Unity is optimized for the desktop," he said. "That's why we have such great support for keyboard navigation and hotkeys, why we have menus and indicators that you really need a mouse and keyboard to use. Yes, we have big app icons. But so have some desktop shells for 15 years (before the NextStep Dock, even)."

"On balance, I think Ubuntu's share of users has continued to rise, based on trends in hard-to-fake sources like Wikipedia traffic logs," he continued. "Unity is by far the most widely used shell on Ubuntu, despite the depressed-hipster 'can't live with unity' meme."

One reader asked whether Ubuntu "might be losing its way amongst the more technical users" because of decisions including the inclusion of Amazon shopping results in Dash searches. The reader also said Ubuntu "forc[ed] a beta-level UI onto users for 3 versions of Ubuntu from 11.04-12.04."

Without addressing those specific points, Shuttleworth replied "We are all at risk of stagnating if we don't pursue the future, vigorously. But if you pursue the future, you have to accept that not everybody will agree with your vision."

Here are a few other questions Shuttleworth answered:

Why doesn't Ubuntu include Android emulation so people can run their vast catalog of Android apps on their laptop, tablet, or the like?

Because no OS ever succeeded by emulating another OS. Android is great, but if we want to succeed we need to bring something new and better to market.

If we said we aimed to run Android apps, then two things would happen. Every developer that potentially cared about Ubuntu would feel it was OK to just write an app for Android. And every bug that would be specific to our implementation of Android's APIs would of course be a bug for us to fix, not a bug for the app developer. So, we won't do that.

Will Ubuntu ever be a certified platform for running Oracle databases?

That's not really something I can say "yes" to ;)

We do know that there are some very large Oracle databases running on Ubuntu, and the people running them get all the support they need from Oracle. If you're a large Oracle shop, call them up and ask for support on Ubuntu. But of course, with Oracle's own Linux now in the market, Oracle is unlikely to promote another Linux until they change strategy.

Nowadays, we get asked about this very rarely—people seem to have moved to care a lot more about Hadoop and some of the newer big-data options than they do about traditional SQL. And of course Ubuntu is by far the most popular OS for large big-data deployments. Perhaps for that reason we are not pushing Oracle very hard ourselves.

What is the appropriate level of the government's role in space? (Note: Shuttleworth was one of the first space tourists.)

The national space missions should be exploratory and seeking to push back boundaries, not crowding out the basics. I think the agencies failed to recognize that they could facilitate private sector activity in areas they pioneered, so we got stuck in agency-monopolized access to low earth orbit for decades. That is changing now, and the real win will be that agencies get lower-cost lift and certification and training options that let them plan the really pioneering missions of tomorrow—Mars and the outer planets.

Regulation is good for established markets—I generally like to see governments regulate hard to achieve efficiency and level playing fields in markets. What gets broken is government actors that participate directly, as Fannie and Freddie do in real estate in the US, for example. But I'm not a libertarian (apart from a brief spell in student days)—I've seen far too much corrupt and nasty behavior by corporates that act in a very narrow set of interests.

So, when you take that trip to low-earth orbit, or parabolic firecracker ride courtesy of one of the space tourism operators, you'll be glad of a regulatory framework that aims for passenger safety. And the professional astronauts, who don't really give a hoot about personal safety beyond the obvious 'don't be an idiot with my life', will be glad for the access to deep space that they would get courtesy of a vibrant market in the 'easy' stuff.

It's a hybrid OS: Metro for touch and consumption, Desktop for mouse/keyboard and productivity. The Desktop works great on a desktop or non-touchscreen laptop, Metro works great on a tablet.

But Windows 8 really shines on hybrid devices. With a laptop that has a touchscreen and that can be bent backwards, for example: want to do work? Use it as a laptop and use the Desktop. Want to play a game? Fold it back and use the keyboard as a stand, and use Metro.

I ran Debian on a phone (OpenMoko Neo1973), and it was cool, but not super useful. I hope they plan to spend enough money to get hardware that works properly, and also software that works properly too. For a phone, it's super important to have a working dialer, and a working overlay when calls come in so you can answer the call. (Regardless of how few talk time minutes people use, when your significant other calls, you should probably be able to answer the phone).

Mobile OS users are already used to being heavily data-mined by their OS and carriers, so the spyware in the Ubuntu desktop really wouldn't phase them...

I'd correct that to "Mobile OS users have no choice, being heavily data-mined by their OS and carriers, so the spyware in the Ubuntu desktop is really no different.". And most users are completely unaware how much they are being tracked, analyzed, spied on, and sold like meat to whomever wants to profit from their data. But even if they were, they'd likely not care, so they would indeed remain unphased.... Personal data loss is nothing compared to being ostracized for not having a smart phone.

I'd correct that to "Mobile OS users have no choice, being heavily data-mined by their OS and carriers, so the spyware in the Ubuntu desktop is really no different.". And most users are completely unaware how much they are being tracked, analyzed, spied on, and sold like meat to whomever wants to profit from their data. But even if they were, they'd likely not care, so they would indeed remain unphased.... Personal data loss is nothing compared to being ostracized for not having a smart phone.

You feel ostracised for not having a smart phone? I've given my programmer friends a hard time for lacking a single touch device (usually encouraging them to get a smart phone), but I'm not sure I've seen anyone actually ostracize someone.

Now, not having a cell phone, sure. It's a totally different thing to arrange a meetup with someone with a cell phone, versus someone without. And you end up just not hanging out with people without one.

I propose that all door knobs in the entire world be made the same. Doors on homes, doors on bathrooms, doors on cars, dog doors, battery compartment doors, sliding doors... they'll all have the same door knob. Genius!

I'd correct that to "Mobile OS users have no choice, being heavily data-mined by their OS and carriers, so the spyware in the Ubuntu desktop is really no different.". And most users are completely unaware how much they are being tracked, analyzed, spied on, and sold like meat to whomever wants to profit from their data. But even if they were, they'd likely not care, so they would indeed remain unphased.... Personal data loss is nothing compared to being ostracized for not having a smart phone.

You feel ostracised for not having a smart phone? I've given my programmer friends a hard time for lacking a single touch device (usually encouraging them to get a smart phone), but I'm not sure I've seen anyone actually ostracize someone.

Now, not having a cell phone, sure. It's a totally different thing to arrange a meetup with someone with a cell phone, versus someone without. And you end up just not hanging out with people without one.

I have one provided by my employer, but for my own personal phone, I use a $14 Go phone. You would not believe the reactions I get when I whip that thing out. You'd think I had "molests children" on my forehead. Not that I personally give a rat's ass. However, my GF's 15 year old son had a usable feature phone and was mocked without relent by his peers to the point that he was frustrated and angry about it. I told him the choice was his as to how to deal with it. He spent all his saved money and bought a Galaxy III, instead of the model airplane kit he was wanting to get ( he's big into RC flying ).

The above example, we're talking about kids, sure. In high school, image and belonging to the group are everything. But, I've seen the same behaviors in adults. Of course, it's not limited to smart phones, but everything. People will sacrifice a *lot* for things that aren't worth it.

I'd correct that to "Mobile OS users have no choice, being heavily data-mined by their OS and carriers, so the spyware in the Ubuntu desktop is really no different.". And most users are completely unaware how much they are being tracked, analyzed, spied on, and sold like meat to whomever wants to profit from their data. But even if they were, they'd likely not care, so they would indeed remain unphased.... Personal data loss is nothing compared to being ostracized for not having a smart phone.

You feel ostracised for not having a smart phone? I've given my programmer friends a hard time for lacking a single touch device (usually encouraging them to get a smart phone), but I'm not sure I've seen anyone actually ostracize someone.

Now, not having a cell phone, sure. It's a totally different thing to arrange a meetup with someone with a cell phone, versus someone without. And you end up just not hanging out with people without one.

I have one provided by my employer, but for my own personal phone, I use a $14 Go phone. You would not believe the reactions I get when I whip that thing out. You'd think I had "molests children" on my forehead. Not that I personally give a rat's ass. However, my GF's 15 year old son had a usable feature phone and was mocked without relent by his peers to the point that he was frustrated and angry about it. I told him the choice was his as to how to deal with it. He spent all his saved money and bought a Galaxy III, instead of the model airplane kit he was wanting to get ( he's big into RC flying ).

The above example, we're talking about kids, sure. In high school, image and belonging to the group are everything. But, I've seen the same behaviors in adults. Of course, it's not limited to smart phones, but everything. People will sacrifice a *lot* for things that aren't worth it.

Yea, I bet kids are nasty about it. Geez, the crap you'd get for wearing the wrong brand of preppy clothes in my high school...

If instead of naming an OS after himself, Linus named it Free Software Foundation's GNU OS, I'd have some respect for Linus's OS.

Ehm... Linus did only name the kernel, the rest of it was already named GNU by Richard Stallman. Richard has a "full" OS except the kernel and then saw an opportunity when Linus released his instead of waiting until his own (hurd to my knowledge) was finished. That is why some distros use "GNU/Linux".Even today I believe that Linus is only involved with the kernel, nothing else of the "Linux ecosystem".

That it's now commonly called just Linux is another matter and an unfortunate development imho, and something Richard severely dislikes last I heard about it.

No it will not. Why? Because it does not actually change the primary reason why Ubuntu or any other flavor of Linux has failed to gain any desktop market share. Mainstream software vendor support. It could be the best OS ever but if the applications people know and love and the ones most businesses need don't run under Linux then it's a pretty useless OS for anyone other than techies like most of us here. a hand full of top shelf vendors like Adobe need to be convinced to port their most popular applications to Linux before people can realistically view Linux as a viable alternative to Windows or Apple OS.

Ubuntu on everything? Please! The developers can not even get full functionality from one distro to another. What was functioning fine on ver 12.04 is now not working on 12.10. Why is that? And before anyone accuses me of being a troll, I run linux on more of my systems than Windows, and I also run Mac. Until the developers of the different linux variants, ubuntu kubuntu, xbuntu, mint, etc....put their collective talents together, pick one or two versions of linux to develope FULLY, Ubuntu and all the other variants, will be also-rans and never account for more than 1% of the user market. Oh, and by the way stop that silly 6 month distro cycle, releasing a product that still has bugs in it. I have attempted to get friends and co-workers to try linux but due to their bugginess, they always gravitate back to windows. Go on a 12 month cycle if need be to get everything right otherwise ubuntu on everything? I think not.

No. ...and regular people (the customers) won't buy Ubantu phones either. At least in the numbers that would support any comparable software ecosystem. The developers go where the money is. (And right now that's iOS and Android respectively.)

Linux lost the battle for the hearts and minds of the lumpenproletariat long ago.

I'd correct that to "Mobile OS users have no choice, being heavily data-mined by their OS and carriers, so the spyware in the Ubuntu desktop is really no different.". And most users are completely unaware how much they are being tracked, analyzed, spied on, and sold like meat to whomever wants to profit from their data. But even if they were, they'd likely not care, so they would indeed remain unphased.... Personal data loss is nothing compared to being ostracized for not having a smart phone.

You feel ostracised for not having a smart phone? I've given my programmer friends a hard time for lacking a single touch device (usually encouraging them to get a smart phone), but I'm not sure I've seen anyone actually ostracize someone.

Now, not having a cell phone, sure. It's a totally different thing to arrange a meetup with someone with a cell phone, versus someone without. And you end up just not hanging out with people without one.

I have one provided by my employer, but for my own personal phone, I use a $14 Go phone. You would not believe the reactions I get when I whip that thing out. You'd think I had "molests children" on my forehead. Not that I personally give a rat's ass. However, my GF's 15 year old son had a usable feature phone and was mocked without relent by his peers to the point that he was frustrated and angry about it. I told him the choice was his as to how to deal with it. He spent all his saved money and bought a Galaxy III, instead of the model airplane kit he was wanting to get ( he's big into RC flying ).

The above example, we're talking about kids, sure. In high school, image and belonging to the group are everything. But, I've seen the same behaviors in adults. Of course, it's not limited to smart phones, but everything. People will sacrifice a *lot* for things that aren't worth it.

I also thought the same until I got lost in a bad neighborhood in Paris. Considering the fact that I am horrible with maps and I don't speak French it wasn't the best experience. I immediately bought GN when I arrived home and I have never regretted that decision. It all comes to your needs. Most people will be fine without smartphones just as they were without them some 5 years ago. But you can't disagree that life can be much easier with them.

Edit: Mark is right about many things, however he never mentioned anything about Ubuntu after 14.04. If we want Ubuntu on the mobile to be successful we need to bring all of the major services on Ubuntu. After all it is the services that make any mobile OS a success. Just remember webOS and Meego.

No. ...and regular people (the customers) won't buy Ubantu phones either. At least in the numbers that would support any comparable software ecosystem. The developers go where the money is. (And right now that's iOS and Android respectively.)

Linux lost the battle for the hearts and minds of the lumpenproletariat long ago.

No. ...and regular people (the customers) won't buy Ubantu phones either. At least in the numbers that would support any comparable software ecosystem. The developers go where the money is. (And right now that's iOS and Android respectively.)

Linux lost the battle for the hearts and minds of the lumpenproletariat long ago.

They need to let go....

You do realize that Android is by definition Linux right?

If one waned to get prissy, one could say both Android and iOS derivatives (SUSv3). That wasn't my point.It's way to late in the day for Ubantu to gain any market traction.

I think it's going to workout a lot like Vista. It'll take one more release to polish the new concepts and cleanup some bugs and then people will say "this is the best release of Windows ever."

I know some people who love Windows 8 (usually techies) and some people who hate it.

Ditto.

I'm a "techie" and I adore 99% of Windows 8. The next iteration, with some more polishing, will be awesome.

...but then I've been told I'm not allowed to give OS UI recommendations by friends since I also use and love Gnome 3

*edit* typo

I don't share your opinion of Windows 8, however I agree that Windows 9 will be awesome. That should give them plenty of time to figure out what needs to be fixed, and relent on the bad design choices. The question is whether they will get things started early in SP1.

As an aside, I completely disagree with him regarding the effect of emulation - WINE (Which for this purpose *is* an emulator) is the perfect example of something that drives improvements of native linux applications just because it means they are competing with non-native apps.

His argument for not emulating android seems to me to be on par with the argument for Microsoft to kill Java. It seems historically bad.